Cellar Review Thread (2025)

Aurrera Stanista by Laugar Brewery Spain 2017 beer, no head. Alcohol though warming took a while, coffee, a big aged beer. Lots of flavour, this was a robust concoction. Some smoke smell. A fireplace beer.Sorry for the image not making it, beyond my pay grade.Still a Sammy 4 beer at 8 years.

 

2022 GDB
My absolute favorite offering from Revolution. It blew my fuckin mind when i was sent one by either Flatlander or @basaywhat 3 or so years ago.
Still true to this day
One of the best Scotch Ales i have ever had. IMO Better than Wulver.

 

GEUZE BOON VAT 91. https://www.beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/47/298512/?ba=Sammy#listsMono blend, 2015, bottled 2016. A delicate tartness at below room temperature, gaining bitterness and after bite progressively as it warms. Sips invite me back for more. All geuze is great, and this one is rich, inheriting great notes from the Calvados barrel.

 

[Parabolas among the best to cellar)

The aroma immediately hit me as I poured. Dark chocolate and coffee, toffee and molasses, with some bitter notes behind wafted to nose. Now it's some minutes later and after a couple of Moroccan style hash tokes from hash I made with weed I grew in my legal to grow state. The aroma has faint barrel notes, but nothing like the strong vanilla and oak it had as main bouquet components when released. Cherry also is missing. Missing also are signs of age deterioration. This smells excellent.

Ah, first sip. Hmmm. Oh this is delicious. More sips follow. Cherry (missing in aroma), chocolate and dark roast coffee hit immediately, strongly, with the linger in mouth phasing through herbal bitter, cola, molasses, burnt caramel, and alcohol spice. It ends with soft bitter chocolate and alcohol spice gradually dominating. I expect to check back with other flavors when/if they develop, but I'm a lightweight now so going slow and easy..

As carb.'ed as ever it was, same perfect body and viscosity to frame the flavors, and a clean linger that begs for next sip.

The only changes I can pinpoint are missing barrel notes, a diminished aroma, and a more blended, less "in your face" type of taste, though still plenty vibrant. Amazing beer to drink as the weather closes in disastrously. Stay safe all.[/QUOTE]

 

Did I post one of these yet this year? Don’t mind the alcohol dementia….

either way, Caramella 2020. One of my favorite beers of the last decade and it’s drinking incredibly strong with huge caramel apple characters and lots of sweet aged English barleywine notes like candied sugar and dark fruits. Just phenomenal.

 

Sierra Nevada Celebration Ale (1999):

Sorry, no pictures, but opened this 25 year old bottle last night. No hint of carbination at all, no hiss upon opening, no head, nothing. Color was a deep brown and murky, can't see through this at all, which is vastly different from a fresh bottle.

Smells how I would expect, kind of stale. Sadly, not much to report on taste, as there is almost none left here. This is pretty much a glass of murky brown water, although the abv is still there so not a total loss.

While I certainly don't recommend cellaring your Celebrations, at 25 years old this is one of the oldest beers I have ever drank. And while I don't need to drink another one, it was a fun experience to drink a beer that I brought that long ago!

 

Finally joining the thread here with a 5 year aged Rodenbach Alexander bottle dated 09/14/2019


Pours a beautiful maroon ruby red color to light with an off-white foam head.

Smells like fruity red wine vinegar, fresh and dried cherries, cherry juice, red wine, woody oak barrel, some notes of caramel, vanilla, hints of chocolate, toffee, molasses, dark toasted malts, dried fruit, barnyardy funk, wild yeasts, straw, hay, and subtle earthy hops.

Tastes a lot sweeter than expected based on the aroma, though in the past when fresher it seems that I thought it was a pretty sweet cherry taste as well. Similar notes as the aroma in a slightly different intensity level with big notes of fresh sweet cherry juice, tart cherries, dried cherry, mild baking spice, red wine, woody oak barrel, caramel, vanilla, hint of chocolate, toffee, molasses, dark toasty malts, some dried fruit, subtle barnyard yeasty funk, straw, hay, and mild earthy hops.

Feels lighter medium bodied, smooth with moderate carbonation. Overall a really great foederbier with sour cherries.

At 5 years aged this is still pretty sweet and heavily fruited with old dusty oak foeder tannins pairing wonderfully with rich sour cherries like an aged fine wine. Some chocolate caramel and vanilla notes lay underneath the dark red fruit and oak and meld with some dark toasty molasses-like malts really well. A great aged sour beer with many more to come. Cheers!

 

Hill Farmstead - Flora Plum 2018 Harvest

6 years of age on this, the second bottle I got, the first was drank fresh after release 5 months after the bottling on Jan 17 2019.

Pours a gorgeous lightly hazy amber gold orange with a slowly receding white foam head.

Smells floral, dusty and funky with barnyard yeasty notes, fresh flowers, mild peppercorn spice, aged oak barrel, honey, pale crackery malts, fruity plums, apricoty stone fruit, lemony orange citrus, and dusty floral earthy grassy hops.

Tastes real nice and balanced, elegant, restrained acidity, lightly sour with tart wheaty notes, pale crackery malts, light honey, fruity plums, apricoty stone fruit, lemony orange citrus marmalade, vinous oak barrel, barnyard yeasty funk, mild peppercorn spice, fresh flowers, and dusty floral earthy grassy hops.

Feels medium bodied, thick with smooth moderate carbonation. Overall this is a real nice wine barrel aged wheat farmhouse ale with plums.

6 years of age and this is still drinking mighty fine. Lightly tart and funky farmhouse wheat qualities shine with fresh plums and wine barrel notes. Really great beer from Hill Farmstead. Cheers all!

 

Grassroots Brewing - Brother Soigné

Bottled 2018 03 01, a mixed fermentation saison ale with lime hibiscus and blood orange, brewed at Hill Farmstead by Grassroots in collaboration with another brewer Luc Bim Lafontaine.

Pours a nice hazy golden yellow color with a creamy white foam head. Right now smelling a bit vinegary and dusty but sweet with tart funky saison qualities, spice, citrus and floral notes. Tastes like tart blood orange and fresh lime, whole citrus fruits, lemon, sour red berry-like hibiscus flower, candied orchard fruit, apricot, pear, light honey, pale bready crackery malt, toasty hay, straw, some barnyard funk, hint of dusty horseblanket, peppercorn spice, and floral earthy herbal grassy hops. Feels medium plus bodied, thick with smooth moderate carbonation. The extra age on this brought with it a little more funkiness and farmhouse or barnyard quality I think. Highly drinkable and a very elegant and balanced tart saison style ale with blood orange, hibiscus and lime that stands up to the test of time 7 years later. Cheers!

 

Grassroots Brewing - Soignée

Bottled on April 6, 2018, this should be a good comparison to the Brother Soigné I just had without the raspberry, cherry and kiwifruit pomace. Similar yellow orange golden color pour, smells fruity, floral, dusty, a bit funky, slightly less vinegary and more fragrant than the last beer with big juicy red fruit notes dominating. The taste follows a similar theme, big juicy tart red fruit notes from the cherry and raspberry pomace as well as kiwifruit dominate over the base beer just a bit, with noticeable citrus blood orange lime flavors, some hibiscus, pale bready crackery malt, honey, candied fruit, apricot, apple, pear, peppercorn spice, some vanilla, slight leathery barnyard farmhouse funk, lemon, hay, straw, and floral earthy herbal grassy hops. Tastes a bit more juicy and fruitier than the Brother Soigné base beer. Feels medium plus bodied, thick, smooth with moderate carbonation. Moderate acidity and medium-high tartness. Really nice beer from the guys at Grassroots Brewing and Hill Farmstead. Cheers all!

 

Allagash - Farm To Face

Date bottled June 9, 2016, a wild ale brewed with peaches. At almost 9 years aged this is still really fruity and tasty. Pours lightly hazy amber orange. Smells like a tart peach cobbler, graham crackery malt, hint of baking spice, oak barrel, fresh peaches, hint of green apple, lemon acidity, and some floral earthy grassy hops. Taste follows pretty smoothly like a tart peach cobbler, moderate acidity and tartness, fresh peaches, candied green apple, lemon, hint of baking spice, graham crackery malt, woody oak barrel, slight barnyardy funk, toasty hay, straw, with floral earthy grassy hops. Feels lighter medium bodied, creamy slick with smooth moderate carbonation. Overall a real nice wild ale brewed with peaches. I vaguely remember trying this in the past and liking it. My only brief notes on it were “tart peach cobbler” and that about sums it up now too. Not super duper fruity and juicy, yet a real nice peach flavor nonetheless, a bit of a candied fruit note and that green apple lemon sourness to pair with the lightly toasty pale malts and woody oak barrel to give off a cobbler pie vibe. Real nice beer still 8+ years later from Allagash. Cheers all!

 

Night Shift - Ever Weisse

Bottled August 2016, a sour ale aged with strawberries, kiwis and hibiscus. Pours amber orange gold with a dissipating head and loads of sediment floaties. Smells a bit like crunch berry cereal, some light toasty malts, sour funk, with tart strawberries, kiwis and hibiscus flower. Tastes a bit smoky oddly enough, with a bit of a bbq flavor behind the sour lactic funk, with tart kiwifruit, strawberries, and hibiscus flower and light toasty wheat malt. Not too complex and age probably didn’t help or do much here, no lambic-esque barnyard notes really. This was from the early stages of the Night Shift sour program in 2016 so I’m sure they made some improvements in the process before they finalized the recipes and started canning the weisse beers. Not bad and an interesting flavor combo that definitely works, nice tart kiwi and berry flavors. Pretty interesting sour ale from a local Night Shift Brewing. Cheers!

 

The last one of these I had was a 2008 vintage enjoyed in 2011 - this one is just about 16 years young - cheers!

Murky, titian red body - no head, though there is a barely perceptible ring indicates a modicum of carbonation remains.

The aroma suggests abyssal depths of malt embraced by cooked raisins/plums/fig and a touch of toffee and chocolate. Hops have faded, died, decomposed, and become one with the soil from which they sprung (so...vaguely earthy I guess).

Toasted date sugar, molasses, baker's chocolate, and hops arising from the dead, contributing a dark smooth bitterness. Fleeting oxidation with occasional hints of root beer, cardboard, and pennies, but the English crystal malt retains sufficient muscle (if not character) to smooth out these unsightly wrinkles. The base of rich ingredients and honest craft remains, so one must forgive the flaws of age and careless storage. Medium finish.

Nearly still, watery yet oily. ABV still well integrated/concealed.

Comparing notes against my original review, this is by no means terribly degraded, (though I suppose that isn't exactly lavish praise)...

 

Night Shift - Mainer Weisse

Bottled December 2016, a mixed fermentation sour ale with blueberries and cinnamon sticks. Pours chunky orange gold with a frothy white foam head. Smells like fragrant fresh blueberries and cinnamon sticks that don’t overpower too much, light toasty malt, with some mild hops in the background. Tastes lightly tart with sour blueberries and fresh sweet cinnamon sticks, some light toasty malt and mild floral earthy hops. Feels lighter medium bodied, creamy smooth with moderate carbonation. Overall a pretty nice wild/sour ale even after all these years. I’m sure a bit of the fruit faded and now the recipe is different, this is still a pretty nice combo with blueberry and cinnamon in a mixed ferm sour ale. Cheers all!

 

Ya gotta be careful when you excitedly tell folks (especially yer wife) that you brought home Sisyphus.

 

Well, I stopped by a sister store today and picked this up. We haven't had distribution from them in a LONG time, so I know it's quite old.

Selassie Coffee and Vanilla Beans - Omnipollo - American Imperial Stout - 11%

The coffee flavors are slightly there, but, a lot of the coffee has gone to the green pepper dark side. I love green peppers, but not in my coffee beer. I'm glad I bought it and not a general customer. This was going to be my final NBW post for this week, but I don't think this belongs there because it isn't an honest review of what the beer actually is.

https://www.beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/25314/253524/
3.39/5 rDev -16.3%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.25 | overall: 3.25
From a 22oz bottle. Local purchase. Do not see a date, but they haven't distributed locally in a long time.

A bit of a hiss and smoke upon opening the bottle. This looks super thick while pouring it. The beer is pitch black in color. There's a 1 finger brown head to the beer that seems to have pretty damn good retention considering the ABV and age. There's a bit of lacing on the glass as the head dissipates.
The aroma has coffee on it, and it doesn't smell like green pepper to me, so that's good. I am also getting a good hit of vanilla in the aroma.
The flavor is mostly coffee. I am getting a lot of it. The one problem with the coffee, because of the age, there's a bit of green pepper flavor in it. I am getting vanilla notes with some chocolate and caramel tones.
I do not know if it is because of age, but this beer seems quite thin. It is smooth feeling, and there's a hint of the alcohol burn.
I am sure this beer was great fresh, I can see the potential. With age, and too much of it, it's a shadow of what it believe it was. I wish I knew the vintage.

 

Last night at about 2 AM I drank a 16oz can of 3 Sheeps Top Shelf Collaboration- Harbinger BA Stout. Canned 3/30/2022. 3 years old. 12.7% ABV. I purchased the can about 1 week ago sitting warm on the shelve at DeVine Liquors in River Falls, WI

I opened the can up and poured it. Plenty of carbonation in it. A slightly murky dark brown body. A ok head that dissipated rather quickly leaving just a little lacing. I drank about 3 oz and decided to let it sit for about 20 minutes.
After it is was allowed to breath, settle down and warm up . It looked, smelled and tasted much better.
Smell: chocolate, oak, red wine, weak but OK aroma
Taste Some chocolate then some oak/vanilla. A hint of red wine on the finish.Might have a little dark fruit and caramel in the background. It was fairly smooth, the ABV was well integrated. Slightly sweet overall
Feel: it was very thin almost watery

It was ok, but I think the flavors and aroma have faded. I never had this beer before.
I will give it a 3.92/5 overall as it is.
https://untappd.com/b/3-sheeps-brewing-company-top-shelf-collaboration-harbinger/5020542

 

how you gonna pop a 25 year old bottle and not share a photo with us on here?!?! Killing us!